Alan's Networking Analysis

Motivation for this post: I was interviewed for a McNeil-Lehrer Newshour article on the 700MHz auction, which was published yesterday on their home page.

 

I tried to emphasize that the failure of the D Block auction (to attract a minimum bid) was a disaster for public safety. Unfortunately, the writer did not include that info in the article. Here's the quote and url:

"No one knows what the other players are going to do, because this spectrum doesn't dictate what wireless technology you use," said Alan J. Weissberger, a Silicon Valley telecommunications consultant with DCT Advisors.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/science/jan-june08/spectrum_03-28.html

and an acknowledgement from my editor at Viodi View:

http://viodi.com/2008/03/28/weissberger/

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Public Safety left out in the cold

We have previously written about the Fading Hopes for Muni Wireless networks as well as the failure of the 700MHz D Block (public-private partnership) FCC auction. When you combine these two, one realizes that public safety networks have been left in a frozen state, with no opportunity to upgrade to a more efficient, interoperable network architecture.

To recap: Public safety organizations were a big loser in the FCC auction, as the minimum bid for the D block was not achieved. That combined with the failure of Muni Wireless networks to gain market traction nixes any upgrade plans for public safety wireless nets. Many failed muni WiFi networks, like Wireless Silicon Valley, were intended to provide interoperability amongst public safety organizations (police, fire, municipal govts, etc) which currently run their own private networks, often on different frequencies.

So the failure of the D block auction looms large for public safety organizations. Without public private partnerships for the D block or muni wireless networks serving them, public safety is left with many non- compatible, non- interconnected wireless networks.

 

Interoperability between public safety organizations are needed at times of regional disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the huge bridge collapse in Minnesota.  There are many instances in which joining the disparate public safety networks could save lives of first responders. 

 

We conclude that public safety networks will continue to be a hodge podge of proprietary and non-interconnected offerings unless a white knight appears that will re-initiate public private muni wireless networks.   Could Google be that white knight?  We don't think so.